On March 18, Turkish President opened a huge bridge that sets a new record for the world’s longest suspension bridge(悬索桥). The “1915 Canakkale Bridge” crosses Turkey’s Dardanelles Strait(海峡), linking Europe and Asia. The country of Turkey is mainly in Asia. But part of it extends into Europe. The new bridge allows people to drive across the Dardanelles Strait in about six minutes. Before the bridge, the fastest way to cross the Strait was by boat. The trip was about an hour, but waiting to get on and off the boat could take hours longer.
A suspension bridge means that its middle section hangs between its two supports(支撑物) without any other supports under. Before the “1915 Canakkale Bridge”, the suspension bridge with the longest middle section was the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, which connects two islands in Japan. The central section of the new bridge is just over two kilometers (1.25 miles) long—about 32 meters(105 feet ) longer than the previous record.
The new bridge is meant as a reminder of a big World War I struggle in the Dardanelles Strait in 1915. Over eight months, Turkey defeated an attack by navy ships from England and France trying to land soldiers in Gallipoli—now called Gelibolu. The bridge, which runs from Gelibolu to Canakkale, was built by Turkish and South Korean companies working together. South Korea’s prime minister, Kim Boo-kyum, was at the opening of the bridge. Mr. Kim said, “The 1915 Canakkale Bridge will leave this history of conflicts behind and will be a bridge between East and West, starting a new period of peace.”
Building the bridge wasn’t easy. It took five years and cost about $2.7 billion. But Turkey expects that the bridge will save as much as $458 million every year because trips crossing the Dardanelles Strait will be using far less fuel and polluting much less. Crossing the bridge will cost about $13.60.
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